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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bass · mate · pitcher · race · racket · bay · stand · face

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. race — a contest
  4. face — part of the head
  5. race — humankind
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. mate — a partner
  8. bass — the fish
  9. face — to point toward
  10. race — the arms race
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. bass — low music
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. mate — a friend
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. face — to confront
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. stand — to bear
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. stand — for spectators

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com